| Hard-Fi | Richard Archer (vocals)
Ross Phillips (guitar)
Kai Stephens (bass)
Steve Kemp (drums) |
Swaggering onto the stage to hundreds of out-stretched arms and a welcoming roar from the crowd, frontman Richard Archer got the party underway with a simple "Are you up for it tonight Southampton?"  | | Hard-Fi / Ross Phillips |
The answer was a clear, deafening 'Yes' and we headed off on a musical bender for an hour and a half with the four geezers from Staines. Their individual mix of rock, dub and disco is catchier than a cold, and they've certainly spread the bug. Absolutely everyone knows all the words to every song, and despite being hoarse from the 'naaa, naaaa, naaa-nas' and knackered already from dancing to Tied Up Too Tight, we're finding it impossible not to pogo as if our lives depended on it.  | | Hard-Fi / Richard Archer on the Melodica |
Their songs are about the crap stuff everyone can relate to in some way. Being skint, run-ins with the law, splitting up with someone, feeling bitter about it and working at deadend jobs just to be able to go out at the weekend. Instead of being a downer it somehow it feels good to get it off your chest and you can't help but have a great big grin on your face as you holler along.  | | Hard-Fi / Steve Kemp |
Richard certainly knows how to work a crowd, and gets us hoofing it along to Hard to Beat, their reggae version of White Stripe's Seven Nation Army - complete with dubbed-out melodica and finally the punchy Cash Machine. After a quick breather, Richard comes back on to play Stars of CCTV and gets us clapping along Queen/Radio Ga Ga style. There's only one song missing, and as it's Saturday night we want the whole shebang before we go home. Richard teases us by asking "everyone here loves the weekend, don't they?" and with us hollering along, they finished off with Living For The Weekend. Absolutely perfect! | 
